This article contains spoilers forThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimsmartly paid tribute to Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy in many different ways. The animated film covers the war between the Rohirrim and the neighboring Dunlending in Third Age Rohan, nearly 200 years before the events ofThe Lord of the Rings. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, it is Warner Bros.' firstLord of the Ringsanime movie and the first official anime film for the franchise ever. Although it eschewed live-action, the movie recalled theLotRtrilogy multiple times.
The War of the Rohirrimmovieenjoyed a theatrical release and provides Middle-earth fans with a never-before-seen glimpse of the Rohirrim. This is a treat, allowing Easter eggs galore and opportunities to pay homage to the movies that came before it. After all,The War of the Rohirrimwouldn’t be able to exist without the success of former movies in the franchise.Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed firstLotRtrilogypaved the way for lots of fantasy movies and its influence is felt all throughoutWar of the Rohirrim.
10The War Of The Rohirrim Soundtrack
The Soundtrack CapturesThe Lord Of The Rings' Power
The War of the Rohirrimpowerfully recalls Peter Jackson’s firstLord of the Ringstrilogy and does so through its soundtrack. The movie refers to the originalLotRtrilogy constantly in a bid to introduce nostalgia. In that regard, Stephen Gallagher’s soundtrack is by far the most evocative element.Gallagher was one of the music editors forThe Hobbitand that familiarity with the subject-matter shines through inWar of the Rohirrim. Gallagher captures the most relevant and memorable parts of the original trilogy’s Howard Shore soundtrack and uses them with devastating efficiency all throughout the movie.
Through the use of score, [Composer Stephen Gallagher] states that this is not justWar of the Rohirrim, it isThe Lord of the Rings.
The movie’s opening “Overture” starts with mysterious brass and a percussive twinkle that speaks deeply to the franchise’s origins in the 2000s before diving teasingly into Shore’s much-mythologized theme from “Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All.” This represents the movie loudly declaring itself as part of a bigger picture. Through the use of score, Gallagher states that this is not justWar of the Rohirrim, it isThe Lord of the Rings.“Overture” offers some connective tissue before it really, truly begins, bursting into Shore’s Rohan themeover a sweeping, awe-inspiring aerial shot of Rohan.
9The War Of The Rohirrim Cast
The Lord Of The Rings' Original Cast Are Here In Spades
The War of the Rohirrimhonors Miranda Otto’s Éowynat its start with her narration, but this is just one of the movie’s cameos from the originalLord of the Ringscast.Éowyn’s narration is a suitable start to the movie, but it is very subtle and may be barely noticeable to many if it is noticeable at all. The same goes for allThe Lord of the Rings’cast’s cameos, which allows the movie’s own narrative to shine.
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Christopher Lee voices Saruman in a ghostly cameo that raises the legendary actor from the dead. With pre-recorded dialogue fromThe Lord of the Rings, the actor comes to life in an anime Saruman who looks remarkably like him.One of the movie’s most delightful Peter Jackson Easter eggs is the casting of two Orcswho appear looking for rings for Mordor. They are voiced by Pippin actor Billy Boyd and Merry actor Dominic Monaghan. It’s a clever touch, given their connection to the original trilogy.
8The War Of The Rohirrim Dialogue
The Movie Refers To Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Script
The War of the Rohirrimscreenwriters reference Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsscript with appropriate allusions that create a vivid sense of time and place. The Rohirrim are imbued with a sense of honor and legacy without losing relatability. Just like inThe Lord of the Rings,these characters speak with a rich, archaic dictionthat recalls medieval times but remains comprehensible to a modern audience.
The Rohirrim are also known as the Eorlingas, named for King Eorl the Young, founder of Rohan.The War of the Rohirrimis based on a short story called “The House of Eorl” in Appendix A of Tolkien’s masterwork,The Lord of the Rings. This story starts by telling Eorl’s story, so his presence had to be felt in this movie as much as it was felt inThe Lord of the Rings. Indeed,“Forth Eorlingas” can be heard more than onceinWar of the Rohirrim, giving the people their distinctive battle cry that feels connected to future events.
7The War Of The Rohirrim Shots
Peter Jackson’s Movies Are Present In Spirit
The Lord of the Ringsis present in spirit inThe War of the Rohirrim, with specific shots demonstrating respect and appreciation for the movies that preceded it.The movie opens with a wide shot of Rohan, spreading out over snow-capped mountains in a dazzling display. This animation appears to be blended with CGI, bringingThe Lord of the Ringsto mind with haunting precision.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towerswas released in 2002, twenty-two years before the release ofThe War of the Rohirrim.
The movie also soars over the plains of Rohan, triggering poignant memories of some of fantasy’s most beautiful movies.One shot, in particular, showsThe War of the Rohirrim’sattention to detailand love of Jackson’s iconic work. One of the most memorable moments in the Battle of Helm’s Deep was Gandalf and Éomer leading the downhill charge of the Rohirrim inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersmovie. This is referenced beautifully by a battle scene inThe War of the Rohirrimthat recreates the shot.
6The War Of The Rohirrim Locations
The Movie Includes Historical Locations From The Original Trilogy
The War of the Rohirrimis full of historical Rohan locations, bringing to mind some ofThe Lord of the Rings’most celebrated moments.No movie about the Rohirrim would be complete without a deep dive into Edoras, Rohan’s primary settlement. This is the home of its royal family.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’sHéragets back from an excursion into the wilderness and the movie plunges into a witan not long after. This diplomatic meeting shows the nobility of Rohan uniting with other nobles in Meduseld.
J.R.R. Tolkien could speak Anglo-Saxon, which helped him come up with the name Meduseld. Maeduselde was Anglo-Saxon for"mead hall."
Meduseld was the royal hall of the Kings of Rohan, and the center of their political activity. This great hall was spectacular to behold inThe Two Towersand was just as beautiful inThe War of the Rohirrim. The surrounding Edoras was also richly imagined in the anime movie.Helm’s Deep was another Rohan highlight ofThe War of the Rohirrim, modeled on the set used in Peter Jackson’s movies and used to great effect in the new animated film.
5Emblems Of Rohan In The War Of The Rohirrim
The Movie’s Symbols Reflect The Rohan Of The Lord Of The Rings
The War of the Rohirrimuses a lot of the imagery and iconography that Peter Jackson used in hisLord of the Ringsmovies. KenjiKamiyama’s anime feature breathes new life into the original trilogy’s best objects, airing out the horn of Helm Hammerhand for all to behold in animated glory. InThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Gimli took the initiative of blowing the horn to herald war.
War Of The Rohirrim’s Helm Hammerhead Explained: Lord Of The Rings History & Two Towers Connection
The feature-length anime follows one of the most influential figures in Rohan’s history, and has a distinct connection to Tolkien’s iconic trilogy.
The War of the Rohirrimends with the ascension of Fréaláf Hildeson, Helm’s nephew and the tenth King of Rohan. After the violence and trauma of the movie’s titular war, this is a hard-earned moment of peace and tranquility. As Fréaláf becomes king in the movie, decor can be seen in the background.The decor bears white flowers that closely resembleThe Lord of the Rings’Simbelmynë. This is the flower that grew on the Rohirrim graves in Jackson’s movie trilogy, giving the moments a thematic connection.
4Rohan’s Rivalry With Gondor In The War Of The Rohirrim
This Huge Lord Of The Rings Theme Runs Deep In the Movie
Rohan and Gondor may be staunch allies by the end ofThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, but it wasn’t always that way, asThe War of the Rohirrimdemonstrates. BothThe Lord of the RingsandThe War of the Rohirrimshow how Gondor and Rohan have a checkered pastthat hasn’t always resulted in success and progress. Gondor and Rohan are the two most important realms of Men in the franchise, so checking in on their relationship inThe War of the Rohirrimfeels suitable.
The War of the Rohirrimtakes place 187 years before the events ofThe Lord of the Rings, meaning all the human characters within the story have long since passed by the events of Peter Jackson’s trilogy.
War of the Rohirrim’sHelm Hammerhandis not keen to call on Gondor’s aid inThe War of the Rohirrim. This stubbornness seems to be a conssitent element of the rulers of Men, sinceDenethor was famously not keen to call on aid inThe Lord of the Rings. Gondor’s Steward Denethor refused to light the beacons inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, creating a thematic connection between the different generations of Men who couldn’t unite in the face of conflict.
3The War Of The Rohirrim Monsters
The Movie Brings Back Lord Of The Rings' Classic Creatures
The War of the Rohirrimboasts some of the fantasy monsters that J.R.R. Tolkien’s work is known for, most of which appeared in the originalLord of the Ringsmovie trilogy.Orcs appear in a fascinating scene, looking for rings, although they do not appear in this part of the story in the movie’s source material. Likewise, the movie features the Great Eagles. Although these majestic creatures don’t feature in the movie’s source material, they do appear inThe Lord of the Rings.
The War of the Rohirrimputs its animated format to good use with imaginative, fantastical reinventions of the Mûmakil and the Watcher in the Water…
An eagle carries Gandalf away from Isengard inThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Héra encounters one. Other eagles rescue Sam and Frodo from the erupting Mount Doom inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Meanwhile,The War of the Rohirrimputs its animated format to good use with imaginative, fantastical reinventionsof the Mûmakil and the Watcher in the Water, both of which appear in Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies.
2The War Of The Rohirrim Characters
The Movie Brings Back Lord Of The Rings' Classic Characters
The War of the Rohirrimbrings some ofLord of the Rings’best characters back in surprise appearances. Christopher Lee’sSaruman appears in animated form, as per the movie’s source material. While Saruman’s appearance is faithful to the book, his striking resemblance to Christopher Lee is a blissful bonus. However, Sauron and Gandalf both also quietly appear in the movie, despite not cropping up in person.
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The movie references Sauron in one scene involving Orcs, alluding to the large-scale and long-term struggle going on in the movie’s background whereby Sauron was slowly rising to power in the Third Age. Shield maidens, who were touched on in the Rohan scenes of theLotRtrilogy, are a major theme in the movie. However, the mention of Gandalf towards the movie’s end may be its most exciting Peter Jackson callback, as it references one of the franchise’s most iconic characters.
1The Looming Threat Of The War Of The Ring
The War Of The Rohirrim Sets Up The Lord Of the Rings
The War of the Rohirrim’smost crucial tie-in with the Peter Jackson movies of the 2000s may be its knowing references to the wider world of Middle-earth and the cosmic power struggles within it.Sauron, Saruman, and the White Council were already vying for power in their own waysat this point in the Middle-earth timeline. The movie lets this be known. Wulf heads up Isengard and its machinations in the movie, recalling the magnificent sets ofThe Two Towers.
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Saruman himself joins proceedings at the movie’s end, appearing to be held in suspicion by the wise-seeming Fréaláf. This foreshadows trouble to come between the Wizard and the Rohirrim, which plays out inThe Lord of the Rings. Yet more fascinatingly, the Orcs inThe Lord of the Rings: the War of the Rohirrimquestion what Mordor wants with rings, revealing how Sauron was looking for the One Ring with increasing fervor even at this point in the Third Age.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Cast
Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.
